I told myself I wouldn’t get caught up in this debate regarding Land Rover’s latest concept car, shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show. However, it seems I can’t avoid this. Everywhere I look, the DC 100 prompts a number of different reactions. So what is it with it? Is it good? Is it bad? Is it the future?
The opening of the Frankfurt show brought with it a number of different interesting novelties, with regards to the European 4x4 scene. The DC 100 and the DC 100 Sport concepts were among the most talked about, along with Maserati’s Kubang SUV – a rather late appearance of the Italian brand on the SUV/Crossover market.
But really, the DC100? My first impulse was “What were they thinking? And who thought up those strange-looking headlights?”. The vehicle itself is a mix, and a strange one at that. There’s things which are quite appealing, like the rear of the hardtop 100, the interior, the rims (which I am quite fond of, for their strange shape), and so on. The front of the car has lost all of the features of the Land Rover, which may or may not be a good thing. It looks interesting and it will turn heads, albeit not necessarily for outstanding design.
The word around town, initiated by Land Rover’s own Gerry McGovern, is that the DC100 is the beginning of a five-year plan to replace the current Defender series. John Edwards, global brand director Land Rover, added: 'Loved the world over for its simple, honest and distinctive design, we are determined that the new Defender will be true to its heritage, while meeting the requirements of a changing global market. 'We plan to engage with existing and potential customers to help us finalize the details of the new vehicle. One thing's for sure, it's going to be an exciting journey, and we can't wait to get going.'
It might be the fact that I grew up with a Defender, or that it’s been my long time partner for some years now, so I cannot possibly be objective about the uncertain future replacement. It is understandable that change is inevitable, and that the Defenders are living, breathing fossils. No airbags, no abs (on my TD5 at least), questionable seat belts and many more shortcomings, make the legendary giant a perfect candidate for termination. It will be a sad day for the off road world when, a few years from now, the last Defender will start its engine and be driven off the assembly line. This has happened before. Car series have been replaced countless times, throughout the years and, every now and again, the end of a series would entitle consumers to the feeling that there won’t be anything like it ever again. In this case, it’s probably true.
However, the specs look promising. Land Rover has thought out the gadgets that the truck will have and how it will win the market over. They have released some more details about the concept’s drive train, saying that it has been designed to use 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol or diesel engines with both hybrid and plug-in, which sounds quite promising. Other neat touches include ‘induction charging’ to recharge gadgets wirelessly and ‘wade aid’ which uses sonar to assess the depth of water being driven through to advise the driver of the optimum speed. They announced that there’s also a ‘driver activated spiked tire system’ which can be activated at the touch of a button. For anyone who's never really seen spiked tires in other settings that the Cartoon Network, this feature will most likely not be available outside of the Walt Disney and Pixar drawing boards.
There is a whole list of features available for the concept car, some useful, some just shiny, but one thing is certain: the truck that will be replacing the Defender will have some pretty big shoes to fill. Throughout it's 64 years of serving mankind, the Series and the Defenders have saved lives, aided in peace keeping missions and got troops safely through war zones. They've been tired and tested in every condition known to man and have come through. In this process, they have managed to become a world symbol of freedom, adventure and ruggedness. And this is what Land Rover intends to sell: the next symbol. One thing remains certain: The coming of the new replacement for the Defender will be a turning point in the world of 4x4s. Whether it will be everything the Defender stood for or an empty, hollow epigone, we'll have to see - it all boils down to Rover's ability to listen to its clientele.
